Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-29

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Eisr vDice loul,d HIN hero once a.
he ve IL ii kys 81 81 81 rry
sitting M tlaess. nhle1 over IN ID pl,s
line lost, l,is head callteglg avn oaot,y
ssiie wearing the little old fragment
sof straw l1At he Wors 10 Ill that win.
tor about the harm swas sorry
because II helped ont the SHAPE
lot the apparition later. Well
one night the night he did
not come in supper was ready. and
one Of the smaller girls was sent to
call him. It was fifteen rods or SO
away, and just growing twilight.
She heard him as she appro ached the
barn, raped on the outside the
usual sigma and as he did not answer
she opened the small door and peeped
in. What she saw she did not de-
scribe immediately. It was darker
inside, and gruesome, with all the
cattle munching hay. and their eyes
cleaning in the vanishing light with
a dim lambert burning. She was
frightened, and ran back to the house,
told something and one Of the boys
went down, struck q sharp blow
or two on the door, and called
very decidedly. He said he got an
answer, went back, and they
ate supper. AS he did not then
come, the older ones went out,
taking q lantern. As they approach.
ed the door they heard his voice as
usual, made rap on it and got sn
answer they said--waited a moment,
called and received no answer, no re-
ply. opened the door, went in. and
there he hanged, suspended from the
big beam, stone dead had been dead
some time. Soon after it came out
that the littlegirl saw something hang
ing from his neck.
''Wel"-a pause.
mo matter about the shock, the
CHASTITY horror, funeral and all that"
said Dan. II had to tell so much"
said r.. ''as an introduction. I
don't know who cared for the lower
barn stock the next morning. I took
the labor on myself the next evening,
as knew Anscomb's ways and his
cattle about as we'll as he did. AS I
sald-the weather was about like this,
and that night was just such another,
and Notwithstanding the horror, the
charm OF the days and the oncom'ng
night had in q way been with me
through it all, and was on me when I
went to the old barn in the soft. tw,-
light. The moon was shining through
the openings of the flecked clouds, az
now"-looking Upland l for a mo-
ment forgot the occasion of my going
to the barn-the cattle had gathered
patiently around the stable door, and
as opened it, as live, cameAnscomb's
voice, calling each by name, q little
impatiently, as if the delay was their
fault. At the first, che illusion was per-
feet. Anscomb was there! know
know, boys" he said quickly. ri
thought in a moment-but the call
went on just the salme-seemed to
me, and l seemed to hear it.; Well,
when the last one took his place, /
opened the door, on to the floor. OF
course the inside was darker. WelP
"a pause. -, 5'.
The listeners-Well, what? :.
R.-Well, there Anscomb sat. on the
big beam, bumped over, his head on
one side, his old hat on as usual, peer
ing uncannily down at me-"
ALI in chorus-;:Dld you look up at
him?
Rho, / would not look up, I de-
termined / would not. I belong to a.
set-pausing.
Monro--!Not easily upset.
R.-Well, had I looked, / certainly
should have seen him, or seemed to-
l did not, would not, never have; all
the same, he was Thereon the
impression that he was as COM
plete and perfect as ii my eyes, the
touch of my hands, had verified tit
it was touchable. Well, all / had to
do>was to feed. There was plenty of
hay just over the bay. I took a fork,
got over the grit, pitched the hay over,
and fed each of the cows, heifers and
steers-compelling myself to, do it leis.
urely, and well--all the time feeling the
eyes OF the impish figure perched above
me, watching every motion. When it
was done, ] spoke out. ''There, that
will do, Think" Istood halfexpecting
an answer; l got none, and went out,
closed the door, and as l did so from
the outside, there I seemed to hear a
little low, chuckling laugh. I opened
the door again; of course all was still
save the cattle. As / went away I
seemed to hear the calls to the
cows as usual. So strong was
the impression that I went to the
house and looked at the dead face in
the coffin, clean shaved, dark, a man.
". handsome face, with black hair
slightly gray, early gray, showing a
tine, high, narrow forehead, serene,
soft. the face almost sweet in it's ex-
preston. As I looked upon it the
weird impression drifted out and away
from me. The next day was the fun
eral, of course. That was in the reign
Of John Whitlan, my young English
man. He came over young and had
learned to be like us, though the things
in which an Englishman is most like
an American are the ones in which he
resembles us the least, find.
THAT So" affirmed Monroe, who
lived on the border 81 q small England.
4, & ''Well, = resumed r., 81 managed so
that John Whitlan should attend ct
the lower barn the night 4 tier the fun
eral. The proprietor had been solemn
81 buried in the presence Of near q
thousand and / wished to test my il
fusion. said not, a. word j never
have save as / do now Well, John
went whistling on in his large way
across the road, 4 It was getting dusk
and ] waited and watched over the
border. Well, in about ten minutes
or less he came hurrying back too ex-
cited to speak. ! met him 4 outside.